A smokey eye might not be your everyday look but it is a game-changing look guaranteed to step-up; looking seriously hot in under five minutes. So how do you get it right? Too much and too less smudged black morning-after-the-night-before make-up would not go well. Maybe you skip the eyeshadow at first, then go hard on the mascara, whatever the case, here’s how to nail a super quick smokey eye (no expert YouTube tutorial needed):
- Start with your base
Choose a warm foundation that goes well with smoky eyes and soft lip colour. Honey shades go well with dark eyes making the overall effect one of diffused softness. You may skip the eyeshadow base unless the eyelids are super oily. Instead, you can use a mattifying face primer on the eyelids. You can put concealer on the eyelids, as this also helps to correct any discolouration on the eyes and then set it with some loose powder.
- Use eyeliner
There is no need for more drama, dive straight into the deep end with a jet black eyeliner. You can draw a thick line along the top lash line and pull it out slightly into a wing. With a small thin brush buff along the line to break it down and get it looking worn in. Next step, draw along the waterline (the inner rim of your eyes) for added intensity.
- Add grey eye shadow
Substitute an ink-black shade for a concrete grey instead. Next, take a soft grey shadow and, using a tiny amount on a narrow brush, press on to lids. The shadow helps set the pencil and gives eyes a soft-focused, airbrushed look – the look is melted liner not sculpted shadow so don’t use too much.
- Apply lots of mascara
What’s a smokey eye without lots of black mascara. An extra tip is to use the tip of the wand to catch individual hairs and to ‘fan’ out lashes to add more impact. If your eyes are really round only add to your top lashes to give a narrowing, ‘cat-like’ effect’.
- Groom your brows
Be careful with your eyebrows. Against a smokey eye, brows can sometimes look washed out but then again, so don’t overdo it to avoid looking too overdone. Achieve a good balance by using a good brow gel.
- Sweep some bronzers
A warm smokey eye can sometimes make us look a tad vampire-ish, so it’s important to add a bit of warmth back into the face. A sweep of bronzer will pop honeyed skin beautifully, just sweep along cheekbones and into temples.
- Finish with a rose-hued lipstick
It can be difficult to pair a lipstick with a smokey eye but sticking to a neutral shade is your safest bet. Rather than pair dark eyes with a boring beige, how about a nude lipstick? Soak lips in lip balm first then create a sculpted edge with a lip pencil that looks like the colour of rubbed lips.